The Great Debate: Operating Room vs. Courtroom “I’m very sorry sir, as a result of the inevitable mistake during the last procedure you performed, you have been sued for $12,000 and are no longer a surgeon at this hospital; effective immediately.” Although this sounds like an excerpt from a surgeon’s worst nightmare, it is in fact a very unfortunate, yet common occurrence in the operating wing of hospitals. Every year, several physicians’ careers are ruined due to upset patients as a result of intraoperative mistakes during their loved ones, or their own, medical procedures. Surgical consent forms are one of many disputes in terms of medical malpractice. These forms state the many risks of going under the scalpel in the hands of a physician.
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Finally, the patient’s role in the whole scheme of the procedure is to make sure they’re aware of why the surgery is being performed and that they’re comfortable with all that the procedure entails. Extreme measures should not be taken against surgeons for most intraoperative mistakes committed in the operating room. The first defense mechanism working for surgeons against medical malpractice is the use of surgical consent forms. These forms work for the surgeon by protecting their practice from many lawsuits due to any potential complications during the procedure. These forms also work for the patient by informing them of any potential issues during the operation and informing them of what going under anesthesia entails. Surgical consent forms include the general risks of surgery and the specific risks of the proposed treatment. It mentions that there’s a small chance of death or brain injury from anesthesia (Medical Malpractice). In all surgical consent forms, it is stated in one way or another that the underlying motive for surgery may not be resolved and the problem may worsen. The surgeon’s experience with the procedure is also often stated (10 Things You Want to Know …show more content…
These people include medical malpractice attorneys, unhappy patients, and unsatisfied family members of patients. A reason behind taking legal action can be due to complications not stated in the consent forms. However, the surgical field of medicine includes experimentation and working with the unknown, considering the human body is a mystery being uncovered piece by piece. New complications of surgeries are discovered every day and that is a risk taken when consenting to go under an operation. Next, many family members of patients contribute to surgeons’ ongoing stress and expect perfection. Although these humans endured years of training and education, they are still human and mistakes need to be expected and accepted. Finally, some believe the patients should be educated by the surgeons themselves to ensure comfort and relieve pre-operative stress of the patient. However, it must be realized surgeons have hundreds of patients and perform numerous surgeries everyday. Surgeons cannot read minds and can only inform patients of the basic information of the operation and recovery. Any untouched subjects that worry the patient must be brought up by the patients themselves. The patient should be aware of what the procedure entails to ensure that any complications that may occur won’t come as an unstated surprise. In conclusion, there are several
Finally, the patient’s role in the whole scheme of the procedure is to make sure they’re aware of why the surgery is being performed and that they’re comfortable with all that the procedure entails. Extreme measures should not be taken against surgeons for most intraoperative mistakes committed in the operating room. The first defense mechanism working for surgeons against medical malpractice is the use of surgical consent forms. These forms work for the surgeon by protecting their practice from many lawsuits due to any potential complications during the procedure. These forms also work for the patient by informing them of any potential issues during the operation and informing them of what going under anesthesia entails. Surgical consent forms include the general risks of surgery and the specific risks of the proposed treatment. It mentions that there’s a small chance of death or brain injury from anesthesia (Medical Malpractice). In all surgical consent forms, it is stated in one way or another that the underlying motive for surgery may not be resolved and the problem may worsen. The surgeon’s experience with the procedure is also often stated (10 Things You Want to Know …show more content…
These people include medical malpractice attorneys, unhappy patients, and unsatisfied family members of patients. A reason behind taking legal action can be due to complications not stated in the consent forms. However, the surgical field of medicine includes experimentation and working with the unknown, considering the human body is a mystery being uncovered piece by piece. New complications of surgeries are discovered every day and that is a risk taken when consenting to go under an operation. Next, many family members of patients contribute to surgeons’ ongoing stress and expect perfection. Although these humans endured years of training and education, they are still human and mistakes need to be expected and accepted. Finally, some believe the patients should be educated by the surgeons themselves to ensure comfort and relieve pre-operative stress of the patient. However, it must be realized surgeons have hundreds of patients and perform numerous surgeries everyday. Surgeons cannot read minds and can only inform patients of the basic information of the operation and recovery. Any untouched subjects that worry the patient must be brought up by the patients themselves. The patient should be aware of what the procedure entails to ensure that any complications that may occur won’t come as an unstated surprise. In conclusion, there are several